Spotify Launches Real-Time Listening Activity and Request to Jam Feature

In addition to its in-app Messages system, Spotify has added two new features listening activity and Request to Jam will make it easier for users to see what friends are watching and start shared listening sessions. Recent updates add real-time visibility to these social tools as well, and easier ways of coordinating remote group listening in the app on mobile devices. Notably, Spotify introduced the Messages app in August last year and said that since then nearly 40 million users have sent close to 340 million messages.

Spotify Now Lets You See What Your Friends Are Listening to in Real-Time

listening activity, which allows users to share the music they are playing within Spotify Messages in real time (or their most recently played track) if they do not actively listen,” the company said.

It is optional and can be activated via Privacy and social networking, with a feature that allows for . According to Spotify, listening activity is only visible to friends and family members a user has already connected with on Messages; users can control who sees their activity or turn it off at any given time.

If listening activity has been enabled, it appears in the Messages side drawer and at the top of individual chats once they are activated. Using one of six preset emojis, users can tap the activity of a contact to play track (playing it), save that track into their library, open the track menu or react with one-of-six preseties. When the other person has chosen to listen in, users will be able to see others’ listening activity even if they have not enabled their own.

In addition to Listening activity, Spotify has launched Request to Jam, a feature that allows users to initiate remote Jam sessions directly from Messages. Jam allows multiple users to listen together and add songs to a shared queue, while Spotify said daily active use of the feature has over doubled year per year.

In Spotify Premium, users can request Jam from the in-app chat via the Jam button. If accepted, the invitation can be accepted or rejected by the recipient and if accepted is held as Jam session host. During the listening process, both participants can add tracks to the shared queue and message each other while listening. Spotify explained that Jam invitations expire if they are not accepted within a few minutes.

According to the company, Jam contestants can see each other’s display names and receive song suggestions based on their combined listening preferences. A Jam is a permanent leave for users to leave at any time, even after it has been . A Premium subscriber invited a Jam to free users, but does not initiate if they want to start putting on.

The chats are also available in markets where listening activity and Request to Jam are being launched, with broader availability expected by early February of listeners on iOS and Android devices. All chat users can use listening activity, while Request to Jam requires a Premium subscription to start with the conversation. Because both features are part of Messages, it is only for users aged 16 and older because the feature is limited to those who use them.